Milly Alcock was facing immense pressure ahead of the House of the Dragon premiere. Through four episodes, the 22-year-old Australian actress has been the show’s star, garnering the most screen-time while portraying the character of Rhaenyra Targaryen. Alcock was joining an expanding franchise with one of the biggest fan bases in the world; all of whom were waiting to see how HBO’s long-awaited Game of Thrones spinoff would fair.
Alcock will only play the character for half of season one before Emma D’Arcy will replace the young actress as an older version of her same character. Nevertheless, Alcock was tasked with leading House of the Dragon through its first few episodes alongside Matt Smith, Paddy Considine, and Emily Carey. The cast has done an outstanding job so far. However, Alcock admits the series was quite daunting at first. During an interview with Nylon, she says, “But the first two, three months I just thought I was going to get fired constantly.”
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Luckily, HBO stuck with Alcock as she’s been a tremendous addition to the Thrones’ universe thus far.
“It was incredibly new and exciting and daunting, because I’ve only ever done Australian TV, so the budgets are immensely different; they’re not in the same league. It was just quite a shock, [to see] that was a way that you could make film and television. I didn’t fully understand how big of a scale something like that could be until I stepped on set, and I was mortified. You quickly adapt and it all becomes quite normal. But the first two, three months I just thought I was going to get fired constantly. It was incredibly intimidating.”
Milly Alcock Was in Several Smaller Productions Before House of the Dragon
HBO
Milly Alcock has been in the entertainment industry for nearly a decade, although House of the Dragon is the most notable project for her throughout her young career. She started in a small role in Wonderland before appearing as Isabella Barrett in High Life in 2017. She then would appear in Janet King in a smaller role as Cindi Jackson before appearing in the TV movie, The School. Other credits include Pine Gap, The Gloaming, and Reckoning.
Now that she’s achieved global fame with House of the Dragon, Alcock admits it’s been quite a change. In her interview with Nylon, she says, “Me seeing my face constantly is straining. No one should have to do that. It f*****g sucks, man.” She continues, “I don’t know how the socialites of the world can do that. It’s kind of driving me off the wall. It’s an incredibly difficult space to navigate.” Although the fame of being in one of the most popular television series in the world can be a bit burdening, Alcock has clearly enjoyed her time with the show.
Whether we see Alcock and Emily Carey reprise their roles as their younger selves is still up in the air. However, you can tune in next week on HBO and HBO Max to see the actresses play Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon, premiering at 9 pm E.T.
